CRSSD Fest Takes Music Fans to Tropical Paradise

5 Min Read

Last weekend CRSSD Fest kept the summertime vibe alive with the October return of their popular spring festival to Waterfront Park. This 21+ electronic dance music-dominated lineup catered to a sophisticated indie-leaning crowd of the SoCal dance music scene. CRSSD Fest organizers worked hard in their festival guidelines to separate their festival from being labeled as a “rave” by banning totems, rave apparel and light-up accessories.

At their event in March they battled some serious damage costs and, as a result, banned smoking from the festival grounds, improved the festival layout and added more security. After day 1 of going through the long security lines in the brutal heat, I was excited to see people with their phones down, sporting bright colors and embracing the beautiful views of San Diego from the park.

CRSSD Fest is one of my favorite festivals because it has a smaller crowd than music festival giants, like Coachella, and breaks away from typical high-energy rave events creating a clean, respectable dance music scene. Here’s a recap of some of my favorite acts from the weekend!

Justin Jay

Photo by Glen Silva

Finally saw the youngest DirtyBird prodigy take over The City Steps stage Saturday afternoon soon after arriving to the festival. He brought out the good vibes in the 97 degree weather and had the crowd going on the dance floor.

Cashmere Cat B2b Trippy Turtle

Photo by Glen Silva

This was one of my personally most anticipated b2bs I had been waiting for a while to witness. And they definitely did not disappoint. I’ve never seen two DJs go so hard and seem to be completely in-sync with one another, fusing Trippy Turte’s booty-bouncin beats with Cashmere Cat’s hip-hop style and providing a future-bass trap set stepping away from a lot of the house music I heard over the weekend.

Zhu

Photo by Glen Silva

One of my favorite acts of the weekend goes to Zhu’s dark set on the Ocean View Live stage. After being hooked by his mysterious vocals and sexy beats with “Faded” and “Super Friends”, I am really stoked about his new album. The album is more upbeat but still maintains Zhu’s initial signature sound.

Jai Wolf

Photo by Skylar Greene

If Flume, Odesza and Slow Magic fused together, that is how I’d describe Jai Wolf’s sound. I’d recently started listening to his music after hearing his remix of Odesza’s “Say My Name” and seeing his name on tons of line-ups this year, but never managed to catch a set. His melodic hip-hop sound is fun and he was definitely one of my favorite Sunday sets.

Kygo

Main Stage at sunset – Photo by Felicia Garcia

Although ending my last night of Coachella 2015 with Kygo both weekends this year was a happy nostalgic moment, witnessing him play a sunset main stage set at CRSSD Fest may have been one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen all year. There’s nothing like seeing the best of tropical house perform during a waterside, palm tree silhouetted sunset. He laid down his signature tropical melodic beats like “Firestone” featuring Conrad and his remixes of Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” and Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”.

Jamie XX

Since I missed Jamie XX on his “In Colour” tour, I was excited to see him step away from his tour material and play an all out high energy DJ set that took me back to dancing at this year’s Lightning in a Bottle when he played “All Under One Roof Raving”.

Anna Lunoe

Closing out the City Steps on Saturday, Anna Lunoe threw down for the females of this year’s CRSSD Fest line-up, playing a diverse set and dropping an unfinished tune. Check out her full set from the weekend thanks to MixMag.

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The weekend was a non-stop dance marathon that provided relaxing views and gave festival goers a taste of a weekend tropical getaway with a more diverse crossover line-up and main stage acts like the Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio, St Lucia & Banks. Although CRSSD Fest had a jam pack line-up, FNGRS CRSSD still hosted various events at different local spots for the rest of San Diego to enjoy through the night. After day 1 Cashmere Cat kept it going with a DJ set at BANG BANG, a sushi bar and club with the infamous Ryan Gosling bathroom. Sunday, Ben Klock and Maya Jane Cole played DJ sets at the Music Box, and Pioneer DJ was awarding Steve Aoki best DJ of 2015 at the Omnia Nightclub in San Diego.

FNGRS CRSSD, the sister company to LED Presents, hosts a lot of electronic events besides their big CRSSD Fest, which showcases in the San Diego area. For more details and announcements, check out their website at crssdfest.com.

Event Details

Turn back in time for a day of historic knowledge and interactive fun.
The activities and demonstrations on Demonstration Days can vary by the day, but may include cooperage, candle dipping,

Event Details

Turn back in time for a day of historic knowledge and interactive fun.

The activities and demonstrations on Demonstration Days can vary by the day, but may include cooperage, candle dipping, blacksmithing, tours, black powder, cooking, baking, weaving, scavenger hunts, and more.

Admission is $7 per adult (18 and older), $5 per youth (ages 6 to 17) and is free for children 5 and under. Ticket can be purchased at the door.

Event Details

Iliza is one of today’s leading comedians with a fan base who show their loyalty by creating their

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Event Details

Iliza is one of today’s leading comedians with a fan base who show their loyalty by creating their own Iliza inspired swag to wear to her shows. Last year she hosted her late night limited run talk show “Truth & Iliza,” on Freeform. In November 2017, she released her first book Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity (Hachette Book Group) a subversively funny collection of essays and observations on a confident woman’s approach to friendship, singlehood, and relationships.

Originally from Dallas, Iliza moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Emerson College. She is the only female and youngest comedian to hold the title of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Her debut comedy special, War Paint, was acquired by Netflix and was named one of its Top 10 Albums of 2013. Iliza’s follow-up Netflix specials, Freezing Hot and Confirmed Kills, sealed her title as one of the hottest touring acts in America, with Esquire Magazine listing her as one of the top working comedians today.

About the author

Victoria Kobayashi

Victoria is a music and arts contributor reporting on live events and festivals happening throughout California. She was born and raised in Sacramento and recently graduated from the University of California, Davis, majoring in Design and minoring in Professional Writing. Her hobbies include browsing through fashion blogs, photography, listening to new music, thrift store shopping and going on weekend road trips. She's always down for an adventure and meeting new people.

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